


everything's bigger in texas

by vulpines



Series: lone star nights [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: (for now...hehe), Cowboy Ben Solo, Crack Treated Seriously, F/M, Food Issues, Food Kink, Non-Explicit, Rey Needs A Hug, Rey wants MEAT, Rey-Centric, Soft Ben Solo, Texas, This Is STUPID, based on a real restaurant, gratuitous Texan pride & laughter, maybe? but also...
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:14:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23914372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vulpines/pseuds/vulpines
Summary: Rey (& her friend Finn), passing through Amarillo, eats the famed whole 72-oz. steak. Ben, a big Texan and part-time manager of the eponymous Big Texan restaurant, is extremely and uncomfortably turned on.(or: in which Rey discovers that the titular statement applies to more than just meat. 😏 )
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Poe Dameron/Finn, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Series: lone star nights [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1723738
Comments: 12
Kudos: 30





	everything's bigger in texas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [van1lla_v1lla1n](https://archiveofourown.org/users/van1lla_v1lla1n/gifts).



> *waves* hello! This is based on a prompt I saw on Twitter by the lovely & funny Sarah. After literally 6 years of writing nothing, the prompt SO inspired me in all its Texan truthful hilarity that I ended up cranking out this fic on twitter in 1 day (link to original here: https://twitter.com/maha_ranis/status/1253348873562730497?s=20). Posted is pretty much the same fic, just fleshed out a bit more given Twitter's constraints.

* * *

The lone billboard would've caught Rey's attention on its own - a beacon in an otherwise repetitive, arid landscape of flat grasslands and now-indistinguishable cattle - but it's the mega-sized yellow words which makes her sit up, coltish, in the passenger seat of Finn's secondhand beat-up '09 Chevy Cruze.   
  


“WOAH Rey!” Finn exclaims, just about to take a sip of out of their shared drinking cup (last filled with lukewarm metallic tap water in the bathroom of a 7/11 before they hit the Texas border).  
  


“FREE…STEAK?!?” Rey points, eager & nearly salivating as the car chugs closer to the billboard.   
  


"What?" Finn perks up, the idea of getting a cheap filling meal more promising by the second. "Wait...hold up...it says it's a 72 ounce steak, Rey. That just can't be right."  
  


"So?" Rey snaps a pic of the billboard just as they pass by, cheekily waving her phone so it catches Finn’s attention out of the corner of his eye. "Here's camera proof!"  
  


"Says the place is just 80 more miles east on i40...so I guess it’s not really out of our way…” Finn sighs, hunger & the pleading look on Rey’s face winning out.  
  


The duo had originally planned on not stopping, relying on copious amounts of gas station coffee & switching on being drivers to get them through the rest of the drive to the city that would be their new home - Dallas.  
  


Her & Finn were two peas in a pod growing up in a New Mexican desert town that was technically considered a food desert. Rey doesn’t remember much about her early life; based on accent alone & a vivid moment of stepping onto a British Airways plane for the first time steeped into her mind, she knows she was born in England originally. Memories are a bit blurred after that until she got placed with her foster guardian. Unkar Plutt had been a washed up mechanic honestly incapable of caring for a child, but it had been his shop (located close to a bus station) where she had lost ( _ been left by _ ) her parents at the age of 6.  
  


Hunger & cars were probably the only constant things in Rey's entire life so far (besides Finn, her best & oldest friend-almost-brother in the world). While Finn couldn't tell the difference between a wrench and a pump, Rey had picked up mechanics instinctively, "helping" (aka working) for Unkar through school. Finn had gotten a sports scholarship to the University of New Mexico but Rey continued working, hoping to save up what little she could. Plutt’s garage was located off of highway i40 and every time a client would drive off down the dusty road in their newly-fixed car...Rey would pause and yearn for the day she might leave too.  
  


Truthfully, as much as Rey was loath to admit, she had Poe Dameron to thank for that final push. Finn had met the handsome pilot his freshman year at university, where Poe was a part-time student finishing up his degree after the military. When Poe got a job flying for Southwest Airlines to be based out of their headquarters, the long distance combined with his frequent flying schedule was too much for the couple. Rey, deducing that Finn was hesitating to leave New Mexico because of her, sat down one night and truly thought about the kind of life she wanted for him and herself. Unkar Plutt had never cared for her and the feeling was mutual; her parents...were never coming back & had never planned to. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but a necessary one.  
  


So that's how Rey & Finn found themselves on the road to Dallas, all of their minimal belongings stuffed into the trunk & backseat of Finn's old sedan. Rey had finally applied to schools (all in the North TX area) and was set to start her mechanical engineering major at UT Arlington in just two months. The drive so far had been...boring. Enough of the flat terrain had turned the longhorns (whom Rey was initially ecstatic to see) into something mundane. Not to mention their hunger - a coffee & a McGriddle each morning was a rare luxury given neither of them had started their new jobs yet.   
  


Even if the advertisement WAS a trick, Rey was preparing to fight this restaurant with her camera's proof and sheer feral will in order to get ANY amount of a free steak dinner. Anyways, she justified, the restaurant probably didn't get a lot of customers; she imagined her & Finn would be so welcomed, they'd get more freebies.   
  


When they pull up to the (aptly named) Big Texan Ranch & Brewery roughly an hour later, Finn's jaw drops in shock.   
  


The place screams “YOU ARE IN TEXAS!!”. There are dozens of state flags of various sizes placed all over the building & grounds with an over-sized statue of a longhorn in front of the door. Their tiny used sedan stands out in a sea of various trucks (both massive semi and pedestrian pick-ups, but still large to the average person). Rey-the-mechanic would be aching to take a look under all those hoods, but Rey-the-famished comes first. The restaurant may not be as empty as she expected, but Rey's growling stomach is ready to feast (& haggle if necessary).   
  


As Finn pulls the car into a free spot close to the entrance, Rey suddenly notices a man standing next to the faux longhorn. He's...well simply put, he’s BIG; an average person would be minuscule next to the massive cow statue but this man makes it seem closer to the size of a normal bovine. He’s wearing cowboy boots with spurs, a maroon shirt tucked into dark-wash jeans (in this heat!), and as her eyes trail up the rest of his tall body, Rey finds herself acutely aware of her own...hunger...  
  


The man clearly looks agitated though, with his phone up to one ear as he runs his other hand through his (luscious) dark hair.  
  


Rey emerges from the car, keeping him in the corner of her vision as she slowly stretches out the kinks in her body from being crammed in the front seat of the small vehicle. Mr. Big Man suddenly turns from facing the cow with a huff, giving Rey a good look at his (unconventional, but attractive) face and him a good look at her toned, bare stomach. Rey puts her arms down from above her head, feeling herself flush a bit. She ends up doing that vague half-wave sort of thing, a bit awkward and not wanting to seem like she was watching (or listening) to him. She feels better when the man flushes too, pink emerging on the high of his fair cheeks. He looks like he's about to wave back, before he frowns and huffs at the phone again, attention diverted.  
  


"Leia..." he's interrupted, deep voice cutting off. "I gotta-fuck! MOM...just stop! I’m doing this as a favor for YOU.” His deep voice cuts off as he checks an expensive-looking watch on his wrist. “Look, I gotta go...you know how Luke gets when I take a break...".   
  


The man hangs up. Rey's suddenly aware of all the minor background noises (the occasional car speeding down i40, Finn on the phone in the car with Poe, the faint sounds of a Hunter Hayes song probably from the restaurant).  
  


"Um...hi!" She pastes a smile on her face. "Is this the Big Texan restaurant?" Rey asks, as if there weren't massive signs everywhere advertising itself.   
  


"Uh...yep." He lingers sharply on the 'P', pursing his lips, and all Rey can think about is his deep voice and the subtle bulge in his jeans underneath the obscenely Texan belt buckle and his...lips...  
  


(Ok, so sue her! Rey hasn't had sex in...well too long! A girl...has needs.)  
  


(Needs that abruptly come to a crashing halt as soon as this unfortunately handsome man opens his mouth again.)  
  


"Ma'am...we have a clothing policy to come into the restaurant. This is more of a family friendly place." He gestures with one hand to her outfit. And Rey...sees red. She may be showing a bit more than is appropriate for a country restaurant BUT 1) her sports bra and leggings combination is not sexual in the least and 2) even if it was, WHO THE HELL do men think they are to dictate what women wear all the damned time?!?   
  


"I'm not stupid, asshole! Of course I'm gonna put on a bloody shirt!"  
  


Rey flips him off, briefly catching the man’s demeanor going from cautious to panicked, before turning her back to open the trunk of the car, rifling through her bags. She hears a door being wrenched open and spies the hot sexist jerk striding back inside the restaurant.   
  


"Woah Rey, what happened?" Finn finally emerges from the driver's seat, locking the trunk as Rey wriggles a tight grey tank over her head.  
  


"Nothing, just some guy being a jerk. Now I'm not just hungry, I’m hangry! Let's go get some free damned steak!" Rey states, vowing to put that bit of Texas eye candy out of her mind.  
  


Walking into the restaurant, they're bombarded. Tacky fixtures and country furnishings, multitudes of dead animal heads on the walls, even more flags, and...  
  


"Is that...a shooting gallery?" Finn's gobsmacked. The place screams Texas on crack, an ode to the lone star state. Rey's eyes, however, are drawn to a massive sign - an illustrated hand pointing down to the words: "FAMOUS FREE 72 OZ STEAK", complete with a mock meal encased in glass. She starts salivating at the prospect...that much steak (+ shrimp cocktail, baked potato, a green salad, & buttered rolls apparently) could feed them for at least a week! Rey's so engrossed in her future feast that she misses a hostess showing Finn a few menus until he tugs on her arm.  
  


"Uh...Rey? I don't think we can do the steak...but maybe we can splurge and split one of those big sandwiches! They're only $12."  
  


Rey rounds on him. "What's wrong with the steak?"  
  


It’s the blonde hostess who responds: "Well hon, it's one, 72-oz steak per person plus fixin's, but you have to eat it all within an hour..." she points to a table below timers on a stage at the center of the restaurant. "Otherwise we charge you for the entire meal - but you can take the rest home!"  
  


Rey can't begin to imagine how much a 72-oz steak actually costs, considering they can barely afford a bite. She's broken out of her calculations by a semi-familiar velvet voice.  
  


"Kay, need any help over here?" It's the MAN, the infuriatingly hot Texan cowboy from outside. The hostess - Kay - explains the situation while Rey studiously ignores Mr. (Big) Asshole. Finn's giving her a look that says "yep there's the trick!", but Rey...Rey has never backed down from a challenge her whole life, especially for 1) free food and 2) to show up a jerk who’s supposedly a manager of this restaurant. "I'll do it!" the words burst out of her, as she finally meets the man's eyes with fire in her own. "I want to do the challenge. I know I can take all of it."  
  


There’s a slightly uncomfortable pause as the man flushes again, right hand clenching at her words and Rey’s sure she’s started going pink but luckily he seems to get over himself and starts speaking.  
  


"Well alright then...a few things first. One, here's a list of all the rules for the challenge," he jumps back into professional mode, opening up a part of the menu with 11 rules typed in a neat list.  
  
  
  


"And secondly...how'd you like your steak done?" he finishes.  
  


Rey doesn't want to admit she's never had a chance to discover exactly HOW she'd like her steak done, but Finn (who went to a few sporting banquets held at nicer restaurants during college) says she'll take it medium-rare & she's grateful.  
  


Kay leads them to the center stage table with some waters. "Ben'll be takin' care of you tonight by the way!"  
  


Ben turns out to be BIG Ben - the jerk. He drops off their waters and explains the rules (again) that she HAS to finish everything served within the hour countdown once the steak is out. After he's disappeared to the back, Rey lets out a groan, to Finn's laughter.   
  


"C'mon Rey...what did that guy do to you to make you so angry and horn-I mean HUNGRY," Finn cackles, switching gears to avoid his friend's wrath.  
  


"First, why is he allowed to look so ridiculous in his cowboy getup and still critical of my fashion choices?” (at the word “fashion” Finn coughs mid-sip of water, a laugh bubbling up his throat). “Secondly, he advertises a free steak all along the highway without being clear on the rules and thinks he can get away with tricking people like us!" Rey huffs, especially when Finn responds (“I’m sure...that wasn’t his intention, Rey.”)  
  


But...Rey can admit he has a point. As they wait for her steak challenge dinner to emerge, Rey finds her eyes wandering to wherever the cowboy ends up being in the restaurant. Ben MUST be a manager, if not the owner, yet he's doing grunt work just like the other servers. (So maybe the sight of him hauling loaded plates back & forth from the kitchen and hearing his slight Texan twang in the way he treats his other customers kindly...does have some effect, causing another feeling to bloom in her belly.) He checks in on their table too occasionally; at some point when Finn’s gone to the restroom, Ben comes by with two margaritas.  
  


“It’s on the house…” he says, a bit nervously, and Rey feels a little bit of the petty anger fade at the unsaid apology in his eyes. She thanks him quietly, and after a brief awkward pause, Ben turns to leave, giving her a good view of his broad back.  
  


Finn returns, and Rey jolts from her thirst (IT IS June and it IS Texas, which means it's boiling, ok?) a few minutes later by several rings of a gong behind them on the stage. She & Finn turn back to see Big Ben standing next to a scraggly-looking bearded older man and the aforementioned gong.   
  


"Howdy y'all! My name's Luke Skywalker, owner of this fine establishment y'all be sittin' in." The older man's voice is a little scratchy, his tone a blend of sarcastic & enthusiastic; a contrast to Ben's now-dour look. "Now I see here that this young lady will be taking on our BIG TEXAN STEAK CHALLENGE!"  
  


Several other customers in the restaurant begin to whoop & clap at this; clearly, Rey's feast is about to become some sort of entertainment factor for them.  
  


Luke continues, "What's your name, miss? And where are y'all from?"  
  


Rey doesn't really want to chitchat (trying to come up with a mental game plan on how to tackle this challenge), but she answers with as much of a smile as she can muster.  
  


"It's Rey, and this is my brother Finn; we're from Fence Lake, New Mexico." Finn interrupts to say they're moving to Dallas permanently, at which point Ben seems to gulp and avoid eye contact.  
  


It doesn't work. Luke pulls him closer and exclaims: "Oh great! My naughty nephew Ben over here lives in Dallas. He just came up to help me out for a bit."  
  


Luke continues, "I'm sure he'd be happy to help with recommendations. He lives in Highland Park." Ben, who looks anything but, seems to sigh before mumbling a quick "sure, of course."   
  


Rey rolls her eyes. Of course this guy would live in one of the richest areas in Dallas.  _ Must be family money _ , she thinks. Ben, unfortunately, seems to catch her and his nostrils flare. He opens his (big beautiful) mouth but before he can say anything else, people start clapping across the restaurant. Luke rings the gong again as two other servers roll a covered cart over to their table on the stage. Ben lifts the cover on the platter as the last ring of the gong echoes.  
  


It...is the BIGGEST piece of meat Rey has ever seen.  
  


Finn swears ("holy shit look at the SIZE of that thing!"), but Rey...is speechless. Suddenly, the hunger that she's learned to live with constantly has decreased by a third. Fuck...what has she gotten herself into?   
  


Rey tries to act unaffected as Ben places the steak (+ potato & salad & shrimp & ROLLS!) on their table but clearly it hasn't worked. Finn's too busy taking pictures on Snapchat & Instagram when Ben looks at her directly. "Um..." His voice seems deeper somehow, more serious yet not unkind. "You can take 1 bite before the timer starts and send it back if it's not cooked to your liking."  
  


His eyes (like dark melted chocolate) are piercing; he’s clearly understood her minor panic and is trying to give her a way to back out of the challenge. While a part of Rey (that's been thrumming with attraction since she saw him) is grateful for his care, a bigger part (the feral child quick to anger) is indignant.  
  


"It looks great; I'm sure it's fine. You can start the timer," she dismisses, taking one deep breath before tearing into the steak with her bare hands. Vaguely, Rey's aware of the people around her gasping as the timer starts. She's sure she looks a fright; some sort of wolverine or vulture instead of a civilized human being.  
  


(God she hopes Finn's not recording this although she knows Poe will get a kick out of this).   
  


Instead, Rey tries to block everyone else out (including Ben, who's still standing by presumably presiding over this challenge). She focuses on the steak itself and...it IS delicious. She's never had a chance to eat meat like this in her life, & a part of her almost wants to cry.   
  


"Uh...is it ok? Cooked to your liking?" Ben's asking, hand on the back of her chair and Rey finally resurfaces (the timer says it's only been about 2 minutes) to answer honestly. "It's perfect...really Ben," She moans, taking another bite, "it's delicious."  
  


He looks flustered again & a bit bashful; Rey's attention is on the food in front of her but she's also aware of a blush growing on his face.  
  


"I'm glad!" it bursts out of him, before he realizes how close he is to her and moves back a bit. "I'll give you guys some space, and Luke will ring the gong at the half hour mark."  
  


Rey's almost a little sad when he moves back, even if he was a jerk earlier. But her attention turns back to the monstrous meal in front of her and the timer that continues to count down. Yes, it's huge, but Rey's still got over 50 minutes left on the clock...she can do it.   
  


At the 15 minute mark, Rey's initial scavenger mode has slowed down slightly. So far all she's tried to do is make a dent in the steak. Finn orders her some hot tea, hoping it'll aid with digestion (arguing w/ Luke over the merits of a hot cuppa vs. the typical sweet southern iced tea). At the 20 minute mark, Rey pushes the steak away (a part of her that's always a hungry foster child winces); she instead switches gears, stuffing one of the bread rolls in her mouth alongside 2 cocktail shrimp.  
  


(Her lizard brain is very aware of how unattractive this must all look to anyone who’s watching.)  
  


Luke's gong makes her aware that half her time is now up as she's finishing up the small salad. In the meantime, Finn's picked at his own order of fries but he's frowning at her now.  
  


"You sure you ok? I know you can eat a lot but we can just pay & take the leftovers home.At least we’ll have food for the next few days."  
  


Rey looks down at the plates in front of her. Salad, check; cocktail shrimp, gone. Miraculously, she's managed to wolf down at least half (she hopes it's half) of the massive steak. Just the rest, and then the baked potato. She thinks of all the past Rey's, she who'd gone hungry so many times in the barren New Mexican desert. _ I can do this, I can do this. _ She repeats the mantra; unwilling to be forced to spend $72 (+ tax) on a single meal because of her own stubbornness. Instead of attacking the food with her hands again, she picks up the utensils Ben had put down, giving herself more time to breathe in between bites.  
  


Ben is...still around. He's flitted off for a minute here & there to check on other things, but his presence feels oddly steady. At the 40 minute mark, Rey can't take it anymore, needing a distraction from the fact that her stomach feels like BURSTING and the amount of food STILL left on the plate. She turns to Ben, hand on her heaving stomach (boy is she glad she wore stretch leggings today). "Sooo...Luke's your uncle?" She asks, licking the grease off her fingers.  
  


He startles, maybe awestruck at the fact that she's talking to him (or maybe it's closer to horror at her lack of manners). But then he eyes her mouth when her tongue flicks out to catch a stain at the corner outside of her lips. Rey feels hot. Ben seems to shake himself a bit, trying to afflict a more professional air, the twang in his voice a little more intentionally pronounced.  
  


"Yeah...Luke's my mom's brother."  
  


"But you live and work in Dallas?" His lips are a good distraction from the fact that she’s well on her way to passing out in a food coma.  
  


"Yeah..." he sighs heavily, "I just...my mom used to make me come up here during the summers while in school to help him out. I sort of...owed her a favor again this time.” He pauses, as if debating about how much to reveal. “I’m actually a business professor.”  
  


"Oh!" Rey's surprised. She tries to picture him (looking like a complete cowboy) as a representative of higher education and fails. Then again...it is Texas.  
  


Finn interjects: "Have you ever done this challenge man?" Ben shakes his head (no), but adds, "I've seen hundreds of people attempt it though."  
  


"There's a winner's wall right there," he continues, pointing to a corner of the restaurant, at which Finn smiles encouragingly.  
  


"Hey Rey! You got this! Maybe we'll come back here next time to see you on that wall."  
  


Rey's taking smaller bites now, letting Ben's steady velvet voice & Finn's banter wash over her. The gong rings again (10 minutes left!) and Rey HATES it. The edges of her brain feel fuzzy. Her mouth is refusing to open and it's the most difficult thing in her life to take another bite. "Ughhhhhh..." she's only aware of her own groaning when Ben's sharp voice snaps. "Rey!" It's the first time he's said her name so far and even though Rey's about to hit a meat-induced coma, it shakes her out of the haze.  
  


"Rey," he repeats even as other restaurant-goers are egging her on in these final minutes. "You don't HAVE to finish it you know."  
  


"You're looking a bit woozy right now and I'd really rather you not get sick..." Ben grabs her hand then, as she's about to reach for another bite, thumb rubbing on her wrist. Rey (who can't even think about the rest of the food, much less sex anymore) still shivers.   
  


"It's ok," She gasps. "I'm almost done, I can do it!"  
  


Ben lowers his voice to a whisper. "Listen, Luke'll be pissed but I can comp the meal regardless. The money doesn't matter...I just...don't want to see you hurt."   
  


Finn looks ready to take him up on it, but Rey refuses. She's just...so CLOSE. There's about 4 decent bites of steak left and 7 more minutes on the clock. And sure, maybe she has a bit of a complex - a need to prove that even if she might be nobody, she's strong & committed to a challenge goddammit. Rey closes her eyes, breathes in deeply, still vaguely aware of Ben's thumb on her wrist.  
  


Then she spears the last of the steak pieces on her fork and stuffs them in her mouth. She finishes chewing at the minute mark as the gong rings one last time & Finn starts cheering. Other lingering restaurant goers are clapping, some familiar country music song is suddenly turned up extra loudly in the background, Luke Skywalker is clapping her on the back with a camera around his neck and Ben...cowboy Ben is just staring. "You've got something right...here..." he says, almost as if they were alone, bringing his thumb up to wipe the corner of her lips.  
  


Rey can't even enjoy bragging rights because: 1) she's never been so full in her LIFE and 2) she wishes she had the energy for something else. She does manage to smile (as best as she can) for a few pictures which Luke promises to add to the famous winner's wall. Rey's exhausted (who knew eating so much COULD be tiring!) and as much as she feels like Jabba the Hutt, she also wants to walk around in hopes it’ll help with digestion.   
  


Rey gets up and slowly makes her way a few strides to where the women’s restroom is located, sluggish on her feet & stomach rolling. She splashes some cold water on her face before going into one of the toilet stalls, sitting on the closed seat lid and inhaling deeply.  
  


(About 10 minutes later, Kay finds Rey passed out in the bathroom.)  
  


* * *

  
Rey wakes up to a stag’s dead eyes staring at her from across a room and screams.  
  


She...is not in ANY bed that feels familiar. It looks like some sort of southern hunter's masturbatory hideaway, at least two deer heads hooked onto 2 of the walls and the bed frame made up of a combination of wood and actual cattle horns. The rug covering some of the floor is a large tricolor cowhide.  
  


She hears quick, steady footsteps coming down the hallway and panics. For a second, Rey thinks her & Finn MUST have been kidnapped by some sort of hills-have-eyes psycho family during their drive across the Southwest (oh god...FINN!).   
  


There’s a knock at the door, followed by a deep unfamiliar “hello?”. Rey quietly pads to the space in the entryway next to the door, the remote to the room’s aged television set in her hand. When the knob turns and the door to the room starts to open, Rey's ready, wielding the remote as a temporary weapon.  
  


She pounces. "OW FUCK!!" The remote hits a nose, large on his long southern aristocratic face.  
  


It's Ben...asshole Ben, kind Ben...big Ben from the big steak dinner. ( _ The free (!) steak dinner! _ A part of her brain sings.)  
  


"Shit sorry!"  


"I heard you scream."  
  


They both speak at the same time, voices over the other. Ben stands a bit awkwardly in the entryway to the room, finally deciding to lean against the wall as Rey retreats back to the bed, taking in the long taut sight of him. He’s not wearing his cowboy getup anymore, and truthfully this modern casual look makes him even more appetizing.  
  


Ben speaks first. "Uhhh...your friend Finn went to grab some breakfast at the restaurant. You passed out in the bathroom after you finished the challenge." He refuses to look her in the eye. "Fuck," Rey swears quietly, flustered & a bit embarrassed. Shit did Ben have to bring them to his home?  
  


He reads the question in her eyes. "There's a motel attached to the restaurant that Luke owns too - wild west & Texan themed kitschy shit . We had a few rooms left and you needed to sleep off the food." He says matter-of-factly.   
  


_ Damn _ , Rey thinks, she really hibernated like a bear. "Wait..." something occurs to her as she's listening to him. "Ben, where's your accent?" The southern twang is gone, just a tiny hint of it left on the edge of his words.  
  


“Oh…” Ben grins suddenly, the dimples wrinkling at the edge of his mouth making him seem younger ( _OH_ _...oh... _ ).  
  


"Yeah uh...that's just for the vibe of the place. Uncle Luke always insisted on it." He sounds a little freer, carding his fingers through his dark fluffy hair before finally looking at her directly. "You do realize not all Texans have an accent."   
  


Rey almost bites back at the sarcasm, before catching herself, registering the tone as more of a dead-pan joke. She smiles and quips back instead, patting the free space on the bed next to her.  
  


"So I guess that means ‘Mr. Big Tex’ is the Superman persona to your regular Dallas professor life?"  
  


Ben's eyes sparkle although he still looks a little hesitant when moving closer to sit on the cow-themed blanket.  
  


"I'm no Clark Kent, that’s for sure..." he mumbles, eyes on his giant hands resting in his lap.  
  


Rey calculates. She's definitely not hungry (still full from the night before) but she’s also not sluggish anymore. And it has...been awhile...  
  


"Well...you did save me," she insists sliding an inch closer to him, making sure he meets her eyes. "I'd say that makes you my hero at least."  
  


And yes it's cheesy; yes when she's back in the car driving with Finn to Dallas, Rey will probably cringe & laugh at her own self and her god awful pickup lines (especially in light of the gargantuan steak she’d devoured the night before). But right now all Rey can think about is how Ben’s grey t-shirt is stretched JUST tight enough over his upper arms and taut chest and how his lips look plush and ripe and his fingers...god his fingers. She rubs her thighs together almost subconsciously, wondering how they’d feel on her thighs before her eyes are drawn back up to his lean throat as he gulps loudly.   
  


"Rey...would you want to-" he starts while she lunges, breaking him off from saying whatever he was about to finish, aiming for his lips as her hand grasps his thick thigh. She doesn't stick the landing 100% (just managing to kiss the corner of his mouth) and Ben startles, before moaning & moving to fit them together properly. It is delicious. Nearly as good as those first few bites of steak she'd eaten yesterday, but she feels it in an entirely different way. Satisfied, yet still famished, aching in different places for more even as she gets a taste of his tongue.  
  


"Fuck...Rey..." he gasps when they break for air & she straddles his thighs whimpering as he rubs up against her. One massive hand grasps her hip while the other moves up to rest gently underneath her hair, thumb stroking the back of her neck like her wrist the day before. He's a relative stranger, yet there's something in his eyes as he looks up at her. An energy (a bond) between them somehow; discovered in a lot of the side of a Texas prairie interstate.   
  


They kiss again, Ben’s tongue licking into her mouth; Rey growls, growing wet and clenching her thighs, grinding against the constricted bulge lengthening in his pants. She squeezes his pecs for balance as his hand moves to stroke the side of her sports bra just under the edge of her breast. The more they writhe together, Rey's certain she could come undone just like this, clothes-on & all in the midst of animal heads mounted on the wall. By the sounds Ben is making low in his throat, so could he and Rey revels in this sort of power even though the feeling is mutual.   
  


Unfortunately, fate comes knocking (literally) at their motel door.  
  


"Hey Rey?!? You ok yet? We gotta get back on the road...I'm coming inside!" Finn's voice jolts them out of their rut.  
  


"Wait! Finn...just wait!" Rey's voice sounds shrill to her own ears. Ben brings the hand from her waist up to pinch his nose, taking deep breaths to calm his erection down as she moves off his body. She continues, praying Finn doesn’t open the door to see what was very obviously about to happen. “We’ll...I’ll be done in a minute! Just let me change!” She catches herself on the plural and hopes Finn won’t question it.  
  


There’s a calculating pause outside of the door. “Um...ok Rey. I’ll see  _ you _ in a bit.”  
  


Rey's disgruntled now after the interruption, but still turned on (at least she packed her little bullet vibe in her minimal belongings for tonight once they get to DFW, although it’s not the same & she'll have to deal with Finn's investigative nature for the next five and a half hours in the car).   
  


"Well, I should probably freshen up and meet Finn so we can get back on the road," She sighs, turning away. There’s a moment of silence, and Rey wants to beat herself up for feeling a bit of disappointment at his silence given that they’re just a pair of strangers with a bit of chemistry.  
  


She startles when Ben grabs her arm. "Wait...Rey...what I was trying to say before...everything else..." He sounds nervous, still catching his breath. “Would you want to keep in touch? Since...we'll both be in Dallas?”  
  


“Keep in touch??” She repeats blandly, eyebrows raised.  
  


He takes another deep breath, calm settling as he moves hand on her arm down to touch their fingertips together. He speaks more confidently this time.   
  


“I’d like to see you again. Once I’m back in Dallas. If...that’s something you’d want too?”  
  


Ben (truly BIG Ben, in every sense apparently) isn't usually the type of guy Rey thought she'd go for. Yes, he's obscenely attractive and she was fine with a one-time deal with a hot cowboy restaurateur in the middle-of-nowhere, but...seeing him again as some Highland Park professor (definitely older than her) back in the real world? Who is he really? She doesn’t even know him...  
  


She must have said the last thing out loud (either that or he’s telepathic) because he responds. “Listen...you’re amazing. You’re strong and committed and -” he breaks off, overcome, “...beautiful. And I know we don’t know each other really but I feel like I already do, somehow.” Rey’s backed up from him now, trying to clear her head of his subtle evergreen scent & the clear attraction acting like a magnetic pull between them.  
  


"Please..." he murmurs, one hand fidgeting at his thigh and the other tentatively still stretched out towards her, "don't be afraid..."  
  


It's his eyes that do it; espresso-rich & looking both hesitant and hopeful at once, as if she's some sort of wondrous thing. It's the way he looked out for her (someone he barely knew) while she was flipping him off and then stuffing her face full of food in his uncle’s country restaurant. Rey thinks about fate (that she doesn’t really believe in) and new beginnings and the fact that she might be nobody but she IS also somebody. Somebody who made it out of Fence Lake, somebody starting university (even if a bit later than most), somebody strong and badass, somebody with people who love her. And maybe...just maybe...Ben might end up as one of the latter. Even if he doesn't...what's the harm in trying?  
  


So Rey responds, voice solid and clear ("I feel it too.") and gives him her phone number.  
  


**Author's Note:**

> [ THE END ! ]
> 
> hope y'all found some level of enjoyment from this dumb thing lol. thanks for reading and some clarifications below:
> 
> 1\. Yes I am from Texas (apologies if I offended anyone from there too or anyone from NM!).  
> 2\. YES...I have eaten at the famous Big Texan restaurant outside of Amarillo (I have not taken on the 72-oz steak challenge). The interior of the restaurant is described from my memory and pictures online, as well as the motel room.  
> 3\. I've been thinking about a 2nd chapter in Ben's POV (I have an elaborate backstory for all the characters). I'm also planning a little sequel (ft. more explicit stuff) if people are interested in more Texan Reylo thirst!


End file.
